


Substitute

by afteriwake



Series: Simple As It Should Be [7]
Category: CSI: NY
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-18
Updated: 2012-09-18
Packaged: 2017-11-14 12:50:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/515402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afteriwake/pseuds/afteriwake
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Maka offers to get Danny drunk to help him get over a bad day.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Substitute

No one else would go near him.

He was pissed, he was hurt and right now everyone was staying about ten feet away from him. The only ones who weren't were Stella and Maka, and they really didn't have a choice. But even Stella had backed off; Danny hadn't lost his temper like that in so long that most people thought...

He shook his head. His nose was broken and _God_ , did it hurt. Mac had found out what had happened before Hawkes even got up to him. He'd been expecting a lecture but Mac just looked at him, then said something about how maybe Danny had been letting things build up too much.

No reprimand, no nothing, just told him to go talk to someone. Funny...the person he'd normally go talk to about shit like this was the one he'd just fought with over a woman. 

He heard a throat clear, saw Maka standing in the locker room doorway. "Heard you got your nose broken."

"Yeah," he said gruffly.

She started to say something else, then shook her head. "Hey, Messer?"

"Yeah?"

"Want to get drunk?"

\---

"How come you're not drinking much?" Danny asked. His voice was slightly slurred at this point, and Maka wasn't surprised. When she'd suggested they go get drunk, she actually meant to get him drunk. And then she wondered why she'd invited him at all. She was expecting a tirade on why Flack was such an asshole, about how stupid he was. Instead, all she got was a sort of numbed silence and some stilted conversation about anything _but_ Flack and Lindsay.

"Someone's got to be sober enough to get you home."

"I could go home with you."

A strange look crossed her face. "You could, but you won't. How much more you want to drink?"

"Enough to make me forget."

"I don't think there's enough alcohol in the world for that, Danny." She took another sip of her beer, the second one she'd had that night. She took a good look at him and wondered what the hell it would take for him to...she didn't know. Be himself again? Be the guy who teased her and flirted with her all those months ago?

"You called me Danny. You almost never call me Danny."

"Sorry, Mess--"

"I like Danny."

She gave herself a minute to be shocked, and then got over it quickly. "I'll have to remember that." She took a deep breath. "Okay. One more shot and then we're grabbing a cab, okay? Hand me your keys."

He handed her his keys. "How'd you know where I live?"

"You invited me over once for something but I had to work. Kept your address on file just in case." That was a lie. Minute he'd agreed to go get drunk she'd gone and looked it up on the employee database, mostly because she _really_ didn't want to take him to her home.

"You're smart, Kaile."

She just smiled slightly. "Drink up and let's get going, okay?"

\---

He was starting to pass out when she made it to his apartment door. "Almost there, Danny. Come on, stay awake just a few more minutes."

"Don't wanna," he said.

"At least don't throw up on me."

He'd had his head on her shoulder, and he turned his head so his lips were touching the hollow of her neck, and she could feel him grin. The man had absolutely no idea what he did to her. Sooner she deposited him in his bed and got the hell out of there...

She fumbled through his keys and got the door unlocked and opened, using their combined body weight to get it all the way open. She shook her head. She had no idea where the bedroom was, and it was completely dark. She could make out a couch, and decided depositing him there would work for now. She got him over and laid him down as best she could, her injured arm screaming in pain.

"Don't leave," he said quietly, his speech slurred.

"I have to, Danny. I have work tomorrow."

"Don't wanna be alone." He grabbed onto her wrist. "Want you to stay."

She pulled her wrist out of his grip; within seconds, he was out cold.

"No you don't," she said quietly. "You want Lindsay here, not me." She sighed, then went to the still open apartment door, locking up as best she could before she shut it and faced the hallway by herself.

Yeah, she thought to herself. All she was going to be for a while was a substitute for Lindsay...even if she'd been around first.


End file.
